Laveleye eloquently demonstrates the impossibility of giving realization to communistic principles in the life of a nation. He also gives his reasons for believing that Communism, which he regards as "the Satan of political economy," will be worsted in the conflict with property. The paper on Döllinger, by Malcolm MacColl, though ostensibly made up of recollections of conversations with that great man, really contains the gist of the argument against the dogma of papal infallibility as it presented itself to Döllinger's mind. It is a vigorously written paper. The article on (C The Results of European Intercourse with the African," by Joseph Thomson, reflects with justly scathing severity on the avarice of European merchants whose lust for gold led them into the slave trade, and to debauching the ignorant African by giving him "gin, rum, gunpowder, guns, and tobacco," in exchange for the products of his country. He also writes with qualified censure of the effects of missionary methods in Africa, but is hopeful of better things in future. The question" Was Jehovah a Fetich Stone?" which Mr. Grant Allen asked some time since in the Fortnightly Review, is effectively answered by Mr. Andrew Lang, who grinds Mr. Allen's grounds for asking it into powder beneath the weight of a pitiless reductio ad absurdum. He makes it clear that the God of Abraham and of Christianity was not a fetich stone, but the Eternal One whose word created the universe and

men.

Our Day for March has: 1. "Prospects of the Prohibition Party; 2. "A New Biography of Jonathan Edwards;" 3. “Joseph Hardy Neesima; " 4. "Geographical Advantages of the United States; 5. "Boston Hymn;" 6. "Boston Monday Lectures." In the first of these papers Miss Frances E. Willard gives up all hope of securing prohibition of the liquor traffic through either the Democratic or the Republican party, and therefore contends that the temperance reform must look henceforth to the Prohibition party to achieve its ends through state and national legislation. This latter party, having put "the claims of women to the ballot, and invited them to its platform and its counsels,” may, Miss Willard thinks, become "the party of the people," and when it comes into power be "like the sun in the solar system." One may hope for such a result, while fearing that it will be long delayed if the Prohibition party must be burdened at the start with a contest for the enfranchisement of women. "One thing at a time," is a sound motto. Let us make sure of prohibition, and then fight the woman question on its merits. The second paper purports to be a review of Professor Allen's biography of Jonathan Edwards. In reality, it is a caustic criticism on the Professor's theological opinions, which, it must be confessed, are not orthodox in all points. The sixth paper contains Joseph Cook's able and eloquent defense of the American Board's determination not to accept men as missionaries who believe in a second probation. He assumes, with probable correctness, that the far greater number of the churches which contribute to the funds of the Board do not accept a theory which

implies that "it may sometimes be safe for some men to die in their sins." Admitting this assumption, the Board's position is impregnable, seeing that it was created to fulfill the wishes of its patrons.

The Missionary Review of the World for March admirably sustains its high reputation. Especially noteworthy is an historical paper on "The Boers and Missions," by Rev. L. Grout; a touching account of the heroic work of "The Moravian Missions among the American Indians," and a very thoughtful article on "The Jew in the Nineteenth century," by Dr. J. T. Gracey. Its "Department of Missionary Intelligence" is full and rich.. -The Chautauquan for March has a long list of papers, historical, literary, political, ethical, scientific, and religious.The Gospel in All Lands for March has among its leading articles "Through the Land of the Totonacos," by Rev. William Green, and “ Thoughts on the Methods of Evangelization," by Dr. R. N. Cust. Its abundant missionary intelligence is especially, though not wholly, devoted to the "Missions of Methodism.". -The Methodist Magazine for March has three finely illustrated articles, to wit: "Canadian Tourist Party in Europe," by its editor, Dr. Withrow; "The Last Voyage by Lady Brassey," and "Wordsworth's Country," by F. S. Williams. Besides these we note a paper on "The Maintenance of Home Missions," by Senator MacDonald, and "Tennyson's Last Poems." Among its items of "Religious Intelligence" is the statement that "Methodism is stronger than Anglicanism throughout the world. The highest calculations do not give the latter more than twenty million adherents. But Methodism alone has at least twenty-five million. Thus a community which is but of yesterday outnumbers the old historic Established Church of Great Britain and its offshoots in every land."The New Jerusalem Magazine for March has a paper on the "Relation of the New Church to Agnosticism," which reaches the conclusion that “agnosticism deprives the soul of all its highest hopes and aspirations, and takes away its thirst for the Infinite." In another paper, "The Increase of Suicide" is ably discussed. After showing that nearly two hundred persons annually die by their own hands in Massachusetts alone, it claims, (1) that suicide violates the command, "Thou shalt not kill;" (2) that it is foolish cowardice, seeing that though a man may force his way out of this life he cannot get away from himself; (3) that it originates in unbelief in a future life, in a total lack of trust in divine Providence, in a loss of the sense of moral responsibility, or in morbid sensibility. The prevalence of these causes is attributed to a decadence of Christian influence in general society.- -Eighth Annual Report of the Woman's Home Missionary Society. This report shows a truly marvelous success in our spiritually destitute home fields, which could not have been achieved without rare self-devotion, energy, and Christian philanthropy on the part of its noble lady managers.

BOOKS: CRITIQUES AND NOTICES.

THE LIMITATION OF PURCHASE.

It is not wise to purchase a book because it is offered at a bargain, or because it is mechanically neat and attractive, or because it is said that every body buys it. Andrew Lang's advice, to "abstain from rushing at every volume," should be heeded. The reader should limit his purchases to books of acknowledged merit. The following should be purchased immediately: Evidences of Christianity, by Bishop R. S. Foster; Sacred Idyls: A Metrical Version of Solomon's Song, by Professor James Strong; Wilbur Fisk, by Professor George Prentice; and Moses: His Life and Times, by Professor George Rawlinson.

RELIGION, THEOLOGY, AND BIBLICAL LITERATURE. Evidences of Christianity: The Supernatural Book. (Studies in Theology.) By Rev. RANDOLPH S. FOSTER, D.D, LL.D., a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 8vo, pp. 430. New York: Hunt & Eaton. Cincinnati: Cranston & Stowe. Price, cloth, $3.

It is a significant proof of the providential government of the Church and of the divine intention respecting the Christian religion, that, in the day of the strongest skeptical assaults upon either, defenders able to resist them appear and turn back the violence that would destroy the heritage of the Lord. The periods most prolific of astute theologians and hero-crowned apologists have been characterized by the presence and achievements of infidels of vast learning, exhaustless resources of logic and rhetoric, and famed for their triumphant opposition to Christianity. "Origen called forth Clement; Pelagius created Augustine; Tetzel evoked Luther; Calvin and Augustine begot Arminius and Wesley;" and so the Christian scholar has ever risen when the atheist, materialist, or rationalist has undertaken to dismantle the temple of truth, and raze it from its foundations. Bishop Foster appears at a distinguished time. These are not the days of Origen, Pelagius, Tetzel, or Augustine, and his task is not that of a Clement, Luther, or Wesley. In these days of a quickened intelligence, with scientists alive and alert, with nature responding to man's inquiries, with critics contesting written history and subjecting its phenomena to new and varied tests, with religion shelved as an ancient and therefore inherited fancy, with the doctrine of the supernatural cast out as a fable, and with the Holy Scriptures reduced to a collection of fallible records, he finds that skepticism, intrenched in the so-called categories of reason, defies the average religious conceptions of the race, and disputes the supremacy of the religious factor in human history, and the progress of civilization. This author comes, therefore, at a most opportune and significant time, because there are giants in the world who, Goliath-like, defy the God of Israel, and challenge the forces to combat.

As the Christian scholar takes up volume after volume from the pen of Bishop Foster he is assured that Christianity has for this period of criticism an adequate defender of its teachings, methods, spirit, and Founder, and that with no other weapon than these volumes in his hand he will be able to meet antagonists and defend the truth. The volume it is now our pleasure to commend is the third of the series a brief note concerning which appeared in the September (1889) Review. We deem it important at this time to call attention to some features of this volume, which, however valuable the preceding books, make this even more usable and perhaps better adapted to current necessities. The author undertakes to present certain evidences of Christianity which, in their application, are intended to support his direct proposition that the Bible is a supernatural book-a use of the evidences which, legitimate and convincing to the last degree, is original with him, and dignifies them on utilitarian grounds as they have never been dignified before. The common purpose of apologetic writers on "evidences" has been to vindicate Christianity as a divine religion; but, while this object is attained in this volume, the supernatural character of The Book, which is of equal importance, is also demonstrated and rendered unassailable. If The Book must be considered a human production, without a supernatural origin, it will be difficult to maintain the theory of a supernatural religion; for it is the concurrent judgment of scholars, that, while religion is indissolubly related to The Book, and The Book is indissolubly related to religion, we must first determine whether The Book has any authority whatever in the domain of religion; and to this end the Bishop contributes the force of his logic and the inspiration of his genius.

We have been frequently requested to name a particular book which, if it does not treat directly of all the questions raised, at the least antagonizes in its spirit and by the drift of its argument the aggressive and destructive work of so-called "higher criticism." Bishop Foster's third volume is a definite refutation of many of the positions of the rationalists, with whom he has no intellectual or other affiliations or sympathies. On page 4 he

says:

The assault of historical criticism, once so loud and confident, is scarcely referred to any more except by belated minds. Higher criticism, so called, has been suborned to base and hostile uses with no more successful purpose. Its assault upon Moses and Isaiah and Daniel is barren of results, or in the end serves what it has been employed to hurt." In the progress of this volume we discover no spirit of compromise with the antagonist, but a repugnance for rationalistic theories that comforts not a little those who also are advocating the faith of the Church. In particular, his treatment of prophecy as a proof of the verity of the supernatural book is not only broad and profound, but it is explicit in its vindication of the doctrine of supernaturalism as opposed to naturalism. His definition is exact and assuring. By prophecy [page 74] we mean the forecasting and the foretelling of events in such kind and manner as the human mind, left to its own unaided power, is incapable of doing; and the announcement of them as communicated by God, in order that the person

66

making the announcement may acquire the authority of God for his utterances." We commend this definition to the negative critics, who have concluded that prediction is not the essential element of prophecy. On page 74 he says, "It is essential to an event of prophecy that it should be strictly future; that is, that there should be no present means of inferring it;" and on this narrow but self-illuminating statement he proceeds to unfold the predictions of the Messiah and the downfall of nations with a perspicuity and force that is simply matchless in literature.

Equally specific and resolute is he when he discusses other biblical problems in their relation to his final proposition. Speaking of the Bible he says, page 248: "We must claim for it, therefore, that it is true in its original deliverances its recitation of facts, and its historical statements from beginning to end; and true in its doctrines and ethics assumed, implied, and enunciated, on a fair rule of interpretation." He pronounces fairly and succinctly in favor of the doctrine of the infallibility of the Scriptures, and establishes it as he goes along. This position, too, we commend to the destructionists.

We cannot, however, linger longer over these pages, the reading of which will stimulate the intellect and confirm the faith of every believer in revelation. It is enough now to say that the author is the greatest polemic of the age, and his work is an enduring monument of genius, scholarship, and devotion to the truth of the Holy Scriptures.

Sacred Idyls. A Metrical Version of Solomon's Song, with Appropriate Explanations. By Professor JAMES STRONG, ST.D., of Drew Theological Seminary. 4to, pp. 74. New York: Hunt & Eaton. Cincinnati: Cranston & Stowe. Price, cloth, $1 50.

In his study of Old Testament books, Dr. Strong applies none of the methods of the sciolist, nor resorts to moss-covered interpretations of the phenomena of biblical literature; on the contrary, as an original investigator, he seeks by the most scholarly tests and processes to ascertain both the objective and subjective elements of these books, and to record the results in a most charming and befitting form. His life has been so devoted to the careful exposition of inspired Jewish literature that he is every-where recognized as a most competent authority on the subjects he chooses to discuss or elaborate. Among his ablest works, in which his supreme devotion to the intricate difficulties of the Hebrew books is clearly manifest, we place his "Metrical Version of Solomon's Song." The most significant feature of this work is the scholarly discernment of the historical and other difficulties of the Canticles and the complete solution of them, according to the latest methods of hermeneutical criticism. The proof of the great scholar is the ability not only to discover the weaknesses, obstacles, and difficulties of theories or principles of scholastic literature itself, but also to overcome them, and place the truth on its own pedestal of light. Our author has sought, amid the many theories propounded for the elucidation of the "Song," and after testing the many interpretations of its meaning, to discover its literary